Same Smile
by Brian1
Summary: Shinji is feeling down because it's his mom's birthday, so on impulse he buys something he used to share with her. Meanwhile, Rei wishes to be unique and not a reflection of Yui Ikari...then it starts to rain... - Reviews Greatly Appreciated! -


**Author's Note**: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion, or anything related to the series; Gainax does. I am still coping with this harsh reality.

This is my first time using Word (web layout) as opposed to using standard text documents to write fan fiction with. I'm beginning to like it quite a lot, since I get to do some tags that I normally can't do using text.

This story takes place later in the series, after Shinji learns of Rei being a partial clone of Yui Ikari, his mother. In this story, however, Rei (III) retained her memory from Rei (II).

I'm not sure if Asuka's last name should be Souryu or Sohryu, so I picked simply picked Sohryu after rolling a dice. If anyone can tell me what her last name is really spelt, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Finally, thanks goes to my friend and pre-reader Serena, who inspired me to write a story based partially on something from my life, which is something she does quite well.

**- Same Smile -**

**- By Brian Marcelo -**

**- Brianmarcelo@hotmail.com -**

**- Rated PG -**

Shinji Ikari shivered slightly as he laid his forehead against the chilly windowpane, watching the rain strike against the glass relentlessly. Usually the weather would be bright and sunny, since it was always a summer climate thanks to the Second Impact, but out of nowhere…it had started to rain…

_"Mommy!" cried out a younger version of the third child, as he pulled on his mother's sleeve, "where did all the cookies go?"_

_Yui Ikari tried to suppress the torrent of giggles that were about to overcome her as she picked up the young child in her arms and gave him an affectionate hug, hoping he wouldn't notice what was in her mouth. "Mmmm?"_

_"Did daddy eat the last cookie? Cause when I went back to the kitchen to get another cookie there was no more and he was there reading a newspaper and, and, and…" he asked innocently, his eyes growing wide with suspicion as he returned the hug, "Did he mommy? Did he?"_

_She smiled at him guiltily as she took a large gulp. "Heehee, I'm sorry Shinji, but mommy couldn't resist having another milk chocolate chip cookie…"_

_Shinji giggled as she ruffled his hair. "Awww, you're so silly mommy!"_

_She grinned at him happily. "You know what? Since it's mommy's birthday, how bout we go get some more cookies?"_

_"You're the best, mommy!" exclaimed the young child as he clung to her happily, not caring about the sweets as much, seeing as he was content to be in his mother's warm, protective embrace._

_As he closed his eyes he knew that as long as his mother was around, he would always feel safe and loved and taken cared for._

"Mother…" Shinji quietly whispered out, the lighthearted memory from his childhood bringing tears to his eyes, causing him to cry gently as the rain continued to pound against the glass.

Shinji found some solace in the rain as he curled up into a ball, feeling as if the heavens themselves were weeping for his mother as well. She was the closest thing to a real angel in his mind, just without the wings or the halo. She was always wearing a white lab coat though, so maybe she was hiding her wings and halo underneath…

He briefly stopped sobbing as he smiled at the thought of his mother comically tucking away large, ivory wings and a sparkling, golden halo into her lab coat, giggling when she would peek around after she was done, hoping no one had noticed. His smile grew wider when he remembered how she always had a smile on her face, and always managed to find humor in every little thing.

Just as he was starting to feel better he remembered that he was a pilot of Eva, and that he was, to put it painfully blunt, an executioner of God's divine angels. He was a killer, a murderer, a person undeserving of someone as sweet as his mother had been. 

He once more broke down, quietly sobbing along with the occasional whimper, wishing his mother could hold him and make it all go away.

***          *          ***

Rei Ayanami shivered involuntarily as she looked at her reflection in the window. Some would've thought it was a comical scene, since she had a pink blanket draped over her head. Anyone who even had remote contact with Rei would quickly realize that she was definitely not a "pink" type of person, and would laugh if they could see her now.

However, laughter was the last thing on her mind, seeing how it was a very serious and tense moment right now, as her thoughts wandered back to **her**.

**Yui Ikari**.

Commander Ikari's late wife, Pilot Ikari's late mother, and the template for Rei's self.

Rei looked at her face in the window, her hand going over the features that distinguished herself from **her**, despite the fact that Rei was suppose to be made in **her** image.__

"I am not a doll." she said to herself, as she put her hand through her hair, which was **azure** where Yui's was just brown.

"I am not **her**." she said, her voice growing louder as she took notice of her **crimson** eyes, where Yui's were once just brown.

"I am me," she whispered softly, "I am Rei Ayanami."

She shivered once more, not sure if it was from her uncertainty or from the freezing cold of her unheated apartment

***          *          ***

Shinji frowned slightly as he continued walking, his red and white colored umbrella not offering much in rain protection. The rain from earlier had not ceased, instead developing into a downpour. Despite this new development, Shinji was outside from his apartment, completely on impulse after having cried his eyes out for the past few hours. He had decided that he needed to get his mind off things, and what better way then to buy something that could do just that?

"I wonder if the place is still open…" he said aloud, as he rounded a corner.

Since the last Angel attack many people had decided to move away from Tokyo-3, some in fear for their lives, others afraid of God's wrath…

After all, who would want to live in a place where fourteen-year-old kids murdered God's Messengers?

Unfortunately, this also meant that many establishments had moved their businesses elsewhere, seeing as how a continually declining population equaled weak sales.

Shinji sighed inwardly. He neededthe particular shop that he was heading towards to be open. It just had to be open. 

His worries ceased as he rounded the last corner and found the chain store open, although a tad deserted.

"Whew…" he whispered in relief, as he hurried his pace forward and through the automatic opening doors.

The man behind the counter looked quite surprised to see a customer come through the door. So surprised in fact, that he had fallen off the chair he had been sitting in just seconds ago.

"Uh…are you okay?" Shinji asked meekly, as he closed his umbrella and came closer to the counter.

The man scrambled to his feet, straightening his white baker's hat as he greeted the customer with a relieved smile. "You're the first customer I've had in over a week, kid. Most people have already left town after what's been happening, what with all those crazy gigantic robots fighting those monsters…"

Shinji ignored the last part as he looked at what the counter offered. "Mmm…"

The baker fidgeted nervously with his hat, which had now taken off. "Uh…so…what's the special occasion? Getting a gift for a friend? Or perhaps a girlfriend?"

"No, it's for…" Shinji paused, contemplating how he should respond. 

He cleared his throat as he continued, this time with a somber look in his eyes, "It is for my mother. It is her birthday today."

"Ahh, for your mother!" the baker exclaimed, a nostalgic tone in his voice, "I remember when I used to bake for my mother when it was her birthday…she always used to love vanilla cake over chocolate…hey, how about a vanilla cake?"

Shinji shook his head politely. "No thanks."

"Strawberry shortcake?"

Shinji shook his head again.

"Apple pie?"

Once more Shinji shook his head, slightly disturbed at how enthusiastic the man was about deserts. 

Frustrated, the baker propped his elbows against the counter and looked at Shinji, asking in a defeated tone, "Then what do you want, kid?"

Shinji looked away for a second, as if he was having second thoughts, then looked the baker right in the eyes and said, "Do you have any milk chocolate chip cookies?"

*          *          *

He held the red cardboard box tightly against chest as he fumbled with the umbrella, which was being very uncooperative. The baker had also been unenthusiastic at first, criticizing Shinji for picking something so relatively cheap and easy to make, and that it was not something you would give to your mom, but was delighted when Shinji had chosen to buy a dozen of the baked treats.

Shinji once tried to bake chocolate cookies himself, since he was a relatively talented cook, but when he tried to eat one it wasn't the same. It was kind of ironic that his fondest memories were of store bought treats instead of homemade ones, but then again, his mom was hilariously bad at cooking desserts. He recalled one time hopping into the kitchen only to be greeted with the face of his mother with flour all over her face and a dazed look in her eyes.

_"Shinji…maybe baking was a…mistake…" she said wearily, before falling back on a chair, "Mommy's exhausted…and I think I broke the stove…"_

_Despite being an extremely intelligent and capable scientist at NERV, Yui Ikari was never very good at making any sort of dessert. She didn't exactly grow up learning how to be a mother, since she hadn't planned on marrying anyone, nor having children, instead wanting to be free and live life to the fullest, but meeting Gendo changed all that; not that she didn't mind of course, since she loved him, as well as their son, with all her heart._

_Having a family gave her the chance for new experiences, such as the joy of marriage, the warmth of raising a family, and the sorrows of learning how to cook. Being the person she was, she had welcomed each and every experience with open arms._

_"Awww…but it's your birthday mommy!" Shinji replied, pouting as he climbed on to her lap, not realizing that when it was someone's birthday it was usually time for him or her to lay back and relax._

_"Hey, why don't we go to the bakery? That way mommy won't break anything else today…" she said with a smile, wiping some of the flour off her face._

"Mom…you were always so full of life…" he said wistfully, not realizing that wetness was starting to appear on his face. He closed his eyes, not wishing to be bombarded with hot tears trailing down his face again-

'Something's not right…the tears on my face are icy cold…' he thought to himself, realizing that his tears weren't his at all…his umbrella had developed a few holes and now water was leaking through them!

He panicked as he threw away the now useless umbrella and put the box under his arm, desperate not to get it wet. There was no shelter of any kind in the surrounding area, he was too far away from Misato's apartment complex, and anyone else he did know lived even farther away, except for…

Shinji turned around, the nearly abandoned apartment complex where Rei lived conveniently placed right in front of him. He was so close that if he made a run for it…

He paused, recalling the events from a few days ago, when he was told that Ayanami was a clone of his mother, and that his mother's soul was in Unit-01. It explained why her features seemed so familiar to him, as well as why Unit-01 would go berserk whenever Shinji couldn't do things by himself; his mother was protecting him. 

It didn't help, through, when he remembered that he had developed a crush on the First Child since the first (and subsequently only) time she had smiled at him. 

Still…he needed to save these cookies from getting wet. Even though it sounded ridiculous, he needed them…he needed the happiness from past memories to ease his battered and bruised soul. All he wanted to do today was enjoy what he used to share with his mother, especially since it was her birthday…

Not allowing another second go by he raced towards the decrepit apartment complex, hoping that his mixed feelings about the First Child would subside.

*          *          *

Rei Ayanami was now on her bed, the slightly out of place pink blanket wrapped tightly around her body, as she was not used to the uncharacteristic cold weather that the rain was bringing.

One thing was sure, though…she would have to make a request to Commander Ikari for the heating to be fixed in her apartment. Before she would not bring attention to something so…unimportant to the Commander, seeing as how he was a busy man. After the Sixteenth Angel's defeat, though, her view of the Commander was changed dramatically, to the point where she was starting to dislike him…immensely.

Also, these new bodily responses that came from being cold were…very unpleasant, to say the least.

She knew that some people would be surprised at that, since she could tell that they thought she had an icy and uncaring exterior, and that she probably wouldn't mind frigid weather.

That didn't make it true, however. It wasn't her fault that she was brought up not to express her emotions, which she did have, contrary to popular belief.

"I am not a doll." she repeated to herself.

She had feelings…although she would admit that she was confused of many (if not all) of them.

"Do I care about anyone?" she wondered aloud, not bothering with the fact that she was talking to no one.

"Caring is an emotion that many apparently seem to find important…"

Commander Ikari was the first person that came to mind, until she remembered her recently developed feelings about him.

"I am not a doll." she repeated her mantra, more firmly this time.

She was quickly beginning to despise the Commander, not appreciating how he had once again given her life, but only because his plans still required her. She did not like being cast in the image of his late wife simply for his benefit. She did not like being used as if she were nothing but a doll, fated to be thrown away once she was no longer useful. She knew the Commander would be furious if he were to find out that Dr. Akagi had not erased her past memories as intended…

If the Commander did not truly care about her, then who did?

She didn't realize it, but her question of "Do I care about anyone?" slowly had become "Does anyone care about me?"

She quickly ruled out any of the NERV personnel, as well as her classmates at school, seeing as how they generally did not want to socialize with her. They were most likely too intimated, or perhaps had no idea how to approach her.

Dr. Akagi was also ruled out; though she was designated to care for any injuries that Rei might sustain, it seemed that the doctor had quite the distaste for "daddy's little girl", although Rei did not know exactly what she meant by that statement. However, she was grateful that the Dr. Akagi had not erased her memories as anticipated, though it was highly likely that the doctor had her own agenda.

Major Katsuragi, despite being kind to Rei, did not have anything to do with her outside of work. It was understandable, since she was busy taking care of Pilot Sohryu and Pilot Ikari. It was pretty much the same situation with Mr. Ryoji; kind, but ultimately had no time for her either.

Pilot Sohryu was out of the question. Though she did nothing wrong to the fiery haired German, it seemed that just being herself was enough to anger the girl. Pilot Sohryu would often call her names such as "Wonder Girl", which did not bother her too much. However, when Sohryu's voice would sometimes grow low, and she would come very close and whisper how much Rei acted like such a "doll"…always blindly following orders from everyone…never thinking for herself…never being truly alive…that was when it started to hurt.

"I am not a doll." she repeated for the umpteenth time, her tone less firm then before, as if she had been defeated.

Was she not a person like anyone else? 

Did she not have feelings like anybody else? 

Did no one care about her…? 

Before she could contemplate further, she heard a knock at the door. She did not hesitate as she slid off her bed, the blanket still wrapped firmly around her as she went to go answer the door.

*          *          *

Shinji hesitated for a moment, wondering whether or not he should knock one more time. 

'This was a bad idea…I just knew this was a bad idea…I bet she's not even home…I bet she's probably at NERV taking another sync test…' he thought to himself nervously, 'or maybe she's wearing a brown wig and matching contacts, standing in front of **him**, letting **him** look her over as if she was mother-'

His thoughts were interrupted as the door slowly opened, revealing Rei Ayanami calmly staring at Shinji, her expression asking, 'What are you doing here, Pilot Ikari?'

"I…I…I…" Shinji managed to stammer out, pulling nervously at his collar, eyes darting everywhere as he tried not to look at what she was wearing, which was simply an oversized white t-shirt and a pink blanket over her head. He was desperately trying not to burst out laughing, despite how tense he had been earlier.

A moment of inspiration hit, causing him to think of the perfect thing to say. "I…was wondering…if you'd…like to share some…cookies…?" 

He originally had not planned on sharing his cookies when he had decided to come to her apartment for shelter, but right then he realized how childish he would've been.

Rei's expression remained unreadable as she eyed the box carefully.

"Pilot Ikari, I do not think it would be appropriate to share a red cardboard box as a food source." she replied monotonously, her brow raised slightly at him.

Shinji blinked twice.

"You've never had cookies before, haven't you, Ayanami…?" he said, in a soft voice, opening the lid of the box so that she could take a peek.

"I…" she said, cheeks burning as she turned away from him slightly, "the Commander most likely did not see any reason for me to be familiarized with…sweets."

Shinji gritted his teeth. How dare his father do that? How dare he deny even the smallest of pleasures to someone he supposedly cared about? How dare he-

Before his thoughts could go further he realized that Rei had her head tilted slightly, her curious gaze affixed to the box in his arm.

"Ayanami…would you like to try some…? They're really good and-"

Rei cut him off with a small wave of her hand. "I suppose it would not hurt to try…new things. You may come in, Pilot Ikari."

He nodded quietly as he entered, taking his school shirt and shoes off near the door to allow them to dry as he followed Rei to her bed, which was one of the few pieces of furniture she did own.

"It's awfully cold in here…" he remarked absently, sitting next to her on the bed, "don't you have a heater in here?

Rei did not look him in the eyes, her gaze seemingly directed at a wall. "It is malfunctioning."

"Why don't you get it fixed?" he asked, shivering as he laid the red box between the two of them.

He was surprised to see her shiver, wrapping the pink blanket tighter around her shoulders as she replied, "I will."

Shinji had never seen her shiver before, but then again the weather they were having was a rarity in Tokyo-3. Could it be possible that Rei had never experienced this either?

Then another moment of inspiration hit him. His hand suddenly reached inside of the box, took out a still very warm cookie, and placed it a few inches away from Rei's mouth. Normally Shinji was not so impulsive, but whenever he was around Rei he felt…different, although he wasn't sure if it was _good_ different or _bad_ different.

"It'll warm you up…?" he offered a bit unsteadily, as his eyes locking on to her own as she turned her head to face him.

Without replying Rei opened her mouth and took a small bite out of the cookie, closing her eyes as she chewed, as if it would make the taste better. Nearly a minute passed, causing the young boy to grow worried as she continued to keep her eyes closed. Before Shinji could ask her timidly if she liked it, she took another, larger bite from the cookie.

A small smile spread on Shinji's face as he watched her finish the cookie very…efficiently. It was the only way he could describe it, since he was usually accustomed to the daily sight of Misato and Asuka literally inhaling meals. Without consciously thinking he grabbed two more cookie and placed them in her palm.

Shinji smiled as he watched her curiously study one of the cookies before eating it. Just as he was about to reach into the box to eat a cookie himself he felt his hand being blocked…by Rei? 

No…she was holding his hand with one of her own. He was surprised…first because she was holding his hand, second because it was warm; he had expected her hands to be cold. 

She was looking at him with the usual expression that she wore, making it very hard for him to attempt to read it. It was also starting to worry him, since she still was holding his hand with her own.

"Is…everything okay, Ayanami…?" he asked meekly, afraid that he had done something wrong.

Rei did not reply; instead, a faint smile appeared on her face, which looked beautiful…wonderful…attractive…and… eerily…familiar? He tilted his head as he looked at her, thinking back to where he had seen that smile…

_"Mommy?" exclaimed Shinji, his hands extended out as he waited to be picked up._

_"What is it my little Shinji?" she replied, holding him in her arms steadily, "Something on your mind?"_

_Shinji nodded vigorously. "What are we gonna do after you and daddy are done with what you do at work? Are we gonna go on a va…va…va-cation?"_

_She smiled at him with the best smile she could give, even though internally she was having a bad feeling about the sync test she was going to do with Unit-01 later that day._

_"Yes sweetie…we're going to go on a vacation…just you, me, and your daddy…" she whispered quietly, a faint smile appearing on her face._

"…Mother…?" he whispered gently, now realizing why Rei's smile was so familiar to him…

It was the same one as his mother's smile…the same smile she had given him the day she died. 

But how could it be possible? Rei was only a clone, while Unit-01 had the trapped soul of his mother…Dr. Akagi had told him that, after showing him the room where Rei had grown up, the graveyard of Eva remains, and the dummy plug room, as well as an explanation for why he always had a warm feeling when piloting Unit-01…

"I…I am not her…" she whispered, her tone filled with a mix of grief and anger, shocking him as she let go of his hand and got off the bed, back turned on him, "I am not her…"

Shinji lowered his head in shame, automatically uttering an apology as he questioned himself, wondering what he had done to provoke this sudden change in the azure-haired girl. 

'Is she angry that I called her mother…? Does she hate being a clone? But why?'

**Fake.**

**Phony.**

**Deception. **

**Fraud. **

**Replica. **

**Pretender. **

**Counterfeit. **

**Imitation.**

**Copy.**

**Duplicate.**

**Imposter.**

Shinji felt anger rising up inside him as those words flashed through his mind, reminding him of what she really was…nothing more then a facsimile of his mother's image…none of the same warmth or care or love that she had possessed was in the girl that was standing before him, back turned on him…

'Her back is turned…I…I could lunge at her…harm her…and she would never…she would never see it coming…' he thought for a brief moment, deeply disturbing himself in the process.

He placed his hands on his face, the sinister thoughts rapidly vanishing from his mind as he was overcome with guilt and shame. 'I can't believe I would even think of doing that…I'm a monster…no matter what Rei is, she's still my friend…how could I think of hurting her…?"

The Third Child quietly started to sob as he had done earlier, hands still covering his face, hoping to hide the shame as well as the tears that were freely flowing from his eyes…

*          *          *

The First Child, back still turned against the Third Child, gazed down in awe at the circular shape in her trembling hands, wondering how it had been able to make her feel so warm inside. At first she had thought Pilot Ikari was merely exaggerating when he said that it would warm her up, but after she took her first bite she felt a small tingle of warmth spread throughout her body. She was surprised to find that the flavor was nothing like the almost-tasteless noodles, rice, and vegetables she had to consume on a daily basis.

She sighed inwardly, wondering why Ikari had chosen to mention his mother. She was dismayed, feeling as if her display of affection was all for naught. 

She had been smiling at Shinji because she remembered that he was the first person to make her want to smile, instead of feeling forced to by the Commander.

She had been holding his hand because she had wanted to feed him a cookie, in a similar fashion to how he had done it for her moments earlier.

Rei had felt her heart break when Shinji had called her mother, but that didn't mean she was mad at him; she was in fact distraught because she was reminded of what she really was…what she was created for.

To be the reflection of Yui Ikari…

To be the First Child…

To be the pilot of Unit-00…

To be the tool to unlock Instrumentality…

She was not meant to be the master of her own fate. 

She was not meant to have any emotions other then a sense of loyalty to her creator.

She was not meant to have a life, happiness, love, a husband, some children, a family, cookies, or warmth.

She did not even have her own distinguishing image every time she looked into a mirror. Instead, she was greeted to the sight of Yui Ikari's face, except with azure hair, crimson eyes, and pale skin.

All she wanted was to have what any other human was allowed to have…she wanted to be free of the puppet strings attached to her…free to do what she wanted to do in life…free to experience life to the fullest…

She wished that she could just be Rei Ayanami. Nothing more, nothing less…

'Ikari must be growing troubled at my sudden change in behavior. I will assure him that I am alright.' she thought to herself, as she turned around to be greeted by the sight of her fellow pilot weeping softly…so softly that she had not even noticed. She quietly walked over and sat down next to Shinji, gently pushing the cookie box out of the way so she could be closer.

She observed him for a moment, sensing his discomfort. "What is wrong…Shinji?"

Shinji took his hands off his face, surprise evident in his features, as he turned face-to-face with the young girl beside him.

"I don't remember the last time you called me Shinji, Ayanami…" he said, sniffling a bit as he rubbed unshed tears out of his eyes.

"That is because I have not referred to you by your first name before now," she answered quietly, holding his hand in the same manner as before, "Shinji."

For a moment Shinji is quiet, his tear stricken face quickly drying as he gazed at her in wonder. She notices that his almost calm expression begins to grow uneasy, as if something is still troubling him.

"Third Child, open your mouth." she commanded calmly, her stoic expression hiding her true intention.

Shinji opened his mouth (most likely in shock from her use of "Third Child" after having called him Shinji moments before), which presented her with the perfect opportunity to shove the still-warm cookie she hadn't eaten into his mouth.

*          *          *

He chewed leisurely, closing his eyes in the same manner as Rei had done to enhance the flavor. He let out a small sigh of content; they were just as good and warm as the last batch of chocolate chip cookies that he had even, if not better.

As Shinji gulped down the remaining bits of the cookie his mind wandered back to what had transpired seconds ago. Rei Ayanami, the clone of his mother-no, his friend-no, his best friend had called him Shinji.

Not Pilot Ikari.

Nor Ikari.

Or even Third Child.

Well, she had called him Third Child, but it was a diversionary tactic so that she could feed him a cookie.

Nevertheless, she had actually called him Shinji…

He was happy that she had done this, because he had been growing uneasy over the fact that he thought Rei would ask him why he was crying. It would've been very difficult to explain to Rei that he had grown angry with her and had thoughts of…hurting her, if only for a brief second. Still, it was enough to put shivers down his spine every time his mind would replay the event in his head. It was almost as if he was about to go Berserker on her, just like how his Eva would do against the Angels.

Shinji opened his eyes, his tear-stricken face a thing of the past as a smile grew there instead, smiling back at his blue-haired companion sitting next to him.

Her smile grows in response, and then there is a quiet silence between the two, until she looks like she's about to say something.

He senses that she suddenly has grown hesitant, but only for a second. "Shinji…could you tell me more about your…mother?"

*          *          *

It had been a very difficult thing to do, but Rei Ayanami had felt that this was the best time to talk about such a sensitive subject for the both of them. Over the past half-hour Shinji had poured out his soul to her, telling her things such as his earliest childhood memories of his mother to why he had called her mother by accident. After everything he had said, she had come to understand why he would do such a thing.

"So that was why you bought the cookies." she stated while chewing on another cookie. 

Shinji smiled sheepishly. "To me, they're like circles of mini-happiness, or something…you know…cheesy like that. I always get this warm and happy feeling, as if I'm relieving my childhood with my mom. Since it is my mom's birthday, I thought I would keep up the tradition that she and I started…"

Rei pondered over this new information and smiled. "Thank you then…for sharing this tradition with me."

"You're...welcome…" he replied back, pleasantly surprised at Rei's behavior.

"You mentioned that your mother was kind, loving, and warm…" she said, tilting her head at those three words, "I wish to be taught more about those emotions."

"I thought you wanted to be your own person-"

"That is true. However…I would like to experience these emotions, because I find that they are something that I lack. I do not mind if they were characteristics of your mother, since emotions are not memories. Like I stated earlier…I do not wish to be a memory of your mother. I desire to create new memories and experiences for myself." she said, a shimmer of hope visible in her eyes.

Shinji nodded his head in quiet understanding.

"You're my friend…actually, you're more like a sister to me, Rei. I no longer mind that you were made from my mom's DNA, because you had no choice in the matter. You don't have her memories, and you're barely younger then me, so it'd be kind of ridiculous to think of you as my mom anyways…um…my point is…I'd like to help you create new memories for yourself, since I care about you…." he said, his voice stumbling a few times in the process.

For a nearly minute she sat there quietly, her expression unreadable as she tilted her head at him. 

In truth she had never felt happier until now, realizing that the one person she did care about also cared about her. Then she realized something that would make the bond they had stronger…

Her blank expression faded as she smiled knowingly, causing him to let out a breath he had unconsciously been holding. "You know Shinji…since I was created with your mother's genes, then technically we are brother and sister. And yes, I think I will take you up on your offer…"

  
Shinji's eyes widened in disbelief. "Sister…? We're brother and sister…?"

She nodded happily, taking out another cookie and making a loud crunch sound as she bit into it.

"Brother and sister…brother and sister…brother and sister…" he mumbled loudly, embracing the concept very openly.

He smiled in an arrogant manner. "Of course…since I'm older, I'm your big brother…"

As he smugly reached into the box to grab another cookie, having only eaten three since he had arrived, he suddenly realized that the box was empty. He confirmed his suspicions as he grabbed the box and took a closer look. Yup, all gone, but how?

His eyes darted over to Rei, only to find her smiling back at him guiltily as she took a large, audible gulp.

- **End**** -**

I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it. ^_^ I hope this is a definite improvement over my first Eva story, "Absolutely Nothing"…which absolutely sucked. Then again, that story was written nearly 3 years ago… o_o

This story had some disturbing angst parts, but hopefully nothing too serious that it ruined the lighthearted type of feeling I was trying to write. You can't have happiness without a little depression, if I'd like to say so myself. 

And sorry if the characters were kind of OOC…but it's been 2 years since I've watched the show, although I did try to study as much as I could from websites before writing this. Plus, certain situations called for it, otherwise Rei might've simply requested that Shinji leave her apartment and go home. Or maybe not, I'm not sure anymore. ^_^;

Hopefully I'll be able to collect the DVD series, since a friend of mine is going to give me the seventh DVD for only 10 dollars. After I watch that I'll most likely be compelled grab one through six, then eight and End of Evangelion.

Oh yeah, and the cookie part was taken from my life. I was sitting in my cousin's house in Sacramento, it was Christmas Day, and I was bored out of my mind. So I stumbled into the kitchen, noticed they had wrapped Mrs. Field's chocolate chip cookies, and ate one. Err…four. Needless to say, they were like happiness…only in chocolate form.

Maybe I'll write a sequel to this…I already have a few ideas brewing in my mind right now, although high school is killing me at the moment.

Once again, thanks to Serena for providing feedback on this story, as well as being one of the most intriguing people I've met over the years. 

**I absolutely crave feedback! Please review this story and tell me what you think, alright? ^_^; If you see any glaring mistakes on my part feel free to correct me!**


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